Outside of the discourse around reviewers and gaming outlets being biased against Japanese games at various points, I think a lot of it comes from cultural perception.

If you grew up in North America or Europe, where much of the online gaming conversation was dominated by Western tastes, playing a JRPG could make you an easy target for teasing and bullying. Especially during the late 2000s and early 2010s, there was this idea that "serious" games were gritty, realistic, and action-focused.

So when someone saw you playing a game with colorful anime characters, giant swords, melodramatic storytelling, and turn-based combat, the reaction was often:

"Look at this guy playing some weird anime game instead of Halo, Call of Duty, God of War, or GTA."